[00:00:01]
[A. CALL TO ORDER]
I'D LIKE TO CALL THE MARCH 21ST JOINT WORK SESSION WITH THE PLANNING COMMISSION IN ORDER.MISS KNOTT, CALL THE BOARD ROLL FOR QUORUM.
ALRIGHT. THANK EVERYONE FOR COMING.
NEXT WE'LL MOVE INTO INVOCATION.
IF MR. BROWN, IF YOU DON'T MIND DOING THAT AND YOU GUYS WANT TO.
HEAVENLY FATHER, WE COME TO YOU THIS EVENING TO SAY THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US YET TO SEE ANOTHER DAY.
HEAVENLY FATHER, WE ALSO ASK YOU THIS EVENING TO LET US LISTEN AND PARTICIPATE LIVELY IN THE DISCUSSIONS AND AS WE MOVE FORWARD, WORKING ON THIS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. HEAVENLY FATHER, WE ASK THAT WE ALL WORK TOGETHER IN PEACE AND HARMONY.
WE ASK ALL OF THIS IN YOUR NAME THIS EVENING.
AMEN. MISTER COX? THANK YOU ALL. ALL RIGHT.
[B. WORK SESSION]
NEXT, WE'LL MOVE INTO OUR WORK SESSION AND, MISTER BALDWIN, ARE YOU GOING TO ANNOUNCE OR INTRODUCE WHOEVER'S GOING TO PRESENT.MADAM CHAIR ANDERSON, VICE CHAIRMAN BRESKO.
MEMBERS OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
CERTAINLY. GREAT TO SEE ALL OF YOU TOGETHER HERE TONIGHT.
WE'RE JUST A FEW MONTHS IN WORKING WITH THE COUNTY'S CONSULTANTS FROM THE BERKELEY GROUP AND TONIGHT THE CONSULTANTS ARE HERE TO PROVIDE A BRIEF BRIEFING TO THE BOTH BODIES TO HAVE DISCUSSION AND SOME ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS THAT WILL BE POSED TO YOU.
SO WITHOUT TAKING ANY LONGER UP HERE MYSELF, I'M GOING TO INTRODUCE MISS CATHERINE REDFERN AND MR. BENJAMIN TRIPP FROM THE BERKELEY GROUP.
THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME TONIGHT.
BENJAMIN AND I ARE THE PROJECT LEADS FROM THE BERKELEY GROUP FOR THE PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY 2045 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE, AND WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO HAVE PARTNERED WITH THE COUNTY TO HELP YOU ALL UPDATE THIS PLAN.
IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT PROJECT AND WE ARE READY TO GET UNDERWAY.
OUR OBJECTIVES HERE ARE FIRST TO REALLY COME TOGETHER AND UNDERSTAND WHAT A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS, COVER EXACTLY WHAT THE PROCESS IS THAT WE'VE DESIGNED TO UPDATE PRINCE GEORGE'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, TALK SPECIFICALLY ABOUT HOW WE'RE GOING TO ENGAGE THE PUBLIC, THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE, IN THIS PROCESS.
AND THEN I'LL HAND IT OVER TO BENJAMIN.
WHAT ARE THE ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES, THE KEY ASSETS AND CHALLENGES FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE THAT WE NEED TO CONSIDER AS WE'RE EMBARKING ON THIS PROJECT? SO LET'S START AT THE BEGINNING.
WHAT IS A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN? SO I LIKE TO THINK OF A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AS A COMMUNITY'S ROADMAP FOR THE FUTURE.
IT IS AN OFFICIAL ADOPTED PUBLIC POLICY DOCUMENT THAT PROVIDES LONG RANGE POLICY DIRECTION FOR A VARIETY OF TOPICS SUCH AS TRANSPORTATION, LAND USE, HOUSING, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
A COMP PLAN SHOULD DESCRIBE THE FUTURE VISION OF WHERE PRINCE GEORGE WANTS TO BE IN THE NEXT 10, 15, 20 YEARS AND IT SHOULD SERVE AS A DECISION MAKING GUIDE FOR YOU, ALL THE PUBLIC OFFICIALS FOR PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY.
[00:05:01]
TOOLS. THE COUNTY'S AUTHORITY IN RESPONSIBILITY FOR UPDATING AND ADOPTING A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN COMES DIRECTLY FROM STATE LAW.THIS IS A QUICK OVERVIEW OF WHAT A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS.
THIS IS A GREAT DOCUMENT TO SHARE WITH YOUR CONSTITUENTS.
IF THEY HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT WHAT THIS PROCESS IS, IT'S A GREAT QUICK GUIDE.
THAT'S A MUCH LONGER, MORE TECHNICAL DOCUMENT.
THAT'S MAYBE THE ONE YOU WANT TO READ WHEN YOU'RE HAVING TROUBLE SLEEPING AT NIGHT.
SO WHAT DOES A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DO? IN A LOT OF WAYS, THE WAYS THE PROCESS FOR UPDATING THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE DOCUMENT ITSELF.
IT BRINGS THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER AND FORCES US TO ASK THE QUESTION AS A GROUP, AS A COMMUNITY, WHAT DO WE VALUE? WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO US, AND WHAT DIRECTION DO WE WANT THE FUTURE OF THE COUNTY TO TAKE? UNDERSTANDING THAT, WE CAN THEN SET A VISION, AND WE CAN SET A GOAL AND STRATEGIES FOR HOW WE'RE GOING TO REACH THAT FUTURE.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT HELPS US DETERMINE HOW WE'RE GOING TO GET THERE.
IT IDENTIFIES IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES.
WHAT ARE THE SPECIFIC STEPS THAT WE CAN TAKE TO REACH THE PRINCE GEORGE OF 2045? AND IN MANY WAYS, THAT QUESTION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION THAT WE ASK THROUGHOUT THIS PLANNING PROCESS, BECAUSE A PLAN ONLY WORKS AFTER ALL, IF YOU CAN USE IT.
SO WHAT DOES A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ADDRESS? I THINK THE NAME GIVES IT AWAY.
NOW, THE BACKBONE OF MOST COMPREHENSIVE PLANS IN VIRGINIA ARE THE TRANSPORTATION AND LAND USE CHAPTERS, BUT IT LOOKS AT JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING AND AGAIN, MUCH OF WHAT GOES INTO THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS MANDATED BY STATE CODE, PARTICULARLY THOSE HOUSING ITEMS, TRANSPORTATION AND LAND USE ITEMS. BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THESE ARE ONE SIZE FIT ALL PLANS.
THEY ARE COMMUNITY PLANS, AND THEY SHOULD REFLECT THE COMMUNITY THAT THEY'RE WRITTEN FOR A KEY PART OF THAT UPDATE PROCESS IS, OF COURSE, THEN WORKING WITH YOU ALL TO DETERMINE, OKAY, WHICH OF THESE ITEMS, WHICH OF THESE TOPICS ARE LOOKING AT, AND SPECIFICALLY WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT WITHIN EACH OF THESE SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE WE'RE CRAFTING THE BEST POSSIBLE PLAN FOR THE COUNTY? WHAT ARE THE PARTS OF THE PLAN? HOW DOES THE PLAN COME TOGETHER? THIS IS THE VERY BASIC STRUCTURE OF A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
THAT VISION STATEMENT IS SUPPORTED BY A SERIES OF PLANNING PRINCIPLES, WHICH BASICALLY SAYS, HOW ARE WE GOING TO PLAN AS A COMMUNITY? HOW ARE WE GOING TO MAKE DECISIONS? WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO US? THOSE ELEMENTS THEN ARE SUPPORTED BY THOSE PLANNING TOPICS THAT WE MENTIONED LAND USE, TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND EACH OF THOSE TOPICS HAS A GOAL STATEMENT WITH SUPPORTING OBJECTIVES AND THEN SPECIFIC STRATEGIES.
EACH OF THOSE STRATEGIES IS THEN COMBINED INTO THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN OR ACTION PLAN FOR THE FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND THIS IS REALLY ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTS OF THE DOCUMENT.
THIS IS THE WORK PLAN THAT SAYS HOW WE'RE GOING TO GET FROM POINT A TO POINT B, OR IF YOU WANT TO CONTINUE THE ROADMAP METAPHOR FROM EARLIER, THESE ARE YOUR TURN BY TURN DIRECTIONS, RIGHT? IT LISTS THE SPECIFIC PROJECTS WHO'S GOING TO DO THEM AND WHEN.
SO WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE COMP PLAN TO THE COUNTY'S OTHER PLANS AND ORDINANCES? AS WE MENTIONED, THE COMP PLAN SHOULD PROVIDE A FRAMEWORK FOR THEM, RIGHT? IT'S AN OVERARCHING FRAMEWORK THAT COORDINATES ALL OF THESE OTHER ENDEAVORS.
PLANNING ENDEAVORS THAT THE COUNTY UNDERTAKES.
A GOOD COMPREHENSIVE PLAN SHOULD SET THE STAGE FOR FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY BY COORDINATING WITH YOUR CIP AND YOUR ANNUAL BUDGET PROCESS TO MAKE SURE THE PROJECTS WE'VE LISTED IN THE COMP PLAN ARE REFLECTED IN THOSE DOCUMENTS, OR VICE VERSA.
IT ALSO SETS THE STAGE FOR SOUND AND COST EFFECTIVE PLANNING AND DECISION MAKING BY MAKING SURE THAT OTHER PLANS YOUR ORDINANCES, YOUR SUBDIVISION ORDINANCES, THEY ARE ALL TALKING TO THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN SO THAT WE'RE MAKING COORDINATED, EFFICIENT DECISIONS.
[00:10:02]
WELL, IT IS A COMMUNITY PLAN AND IT SHOULD BE USED BY JUST ABOUT EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY.BOARD OF SUPERVISORS SHOULD BE USING THE PLAN TO MAKE DECISIONS ON BUDGETS AND PRIORITIES AND OTHER CAPITAL PROJECTS, AND YOUR REGIONAL PARTNERS, LIKE PDC AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, ARE GOING TO USE THIS TO HELP UNDERSTAND WHAT THE LOCAL PRIORITIES HERE ARE HERE IN PRINCE GEORGE AND THEN ADVOCATE FOR FUNDING, UNDERTAKE OTHER STUDIES, ETC.. SO WHY DO WE NEED TO UPDATE THE PLAN? YOU ALL HAVE A PLAN RIGHT NOW.
WHY DO WE NEED TO UPDATE IT? WELL, JUST AS COMMUNITIES ARE NOT STATIC, COMPREHENSIVE PLANS ARE NOT STATIC OR THEY SHOULD NOT BE STATIC.
AND PRIORITIES IN THE FISCAL LANDSCAPE CHANGES.
SO JUST AS STRATEGIES MIGHT BE ACHIEVED, OTHERS MIGHT NEED TO BE TWEAKED OR ADJUSTED TO ALLOW FOR ANY COURSE CORRECTION AND MAKING SURE THAT THE PLAN MEETS THE NEEDS OF PRINCE GEORGE TODAY, AS WELL AS THE PRINCE GEORGE OF THE FUTURE AND OF COURSE, VIRGINIA CODE SAYS THAT WE MUST LOOK AT THESE DOCUMENTS AT LEAST EVERY FIVE YEARS TO ALLOW FOR THAT COURSE CORRECTION AND AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE BUILD INTO ALL OF OUR DOCUMENTS IS THAT IMPLEMENTATION MATRIX.
SO PAUSE THERE. ARE THERE QUESTIONS ABOUT COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING IN GENERAL? THE IMPORTANCE OF IT. NO.
OKAY, THEN LET'S MOVE ON TO THE SPECIFIC UPDATE PROCESS FOR THIS PROJECT.
SO THE SLIDE THAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN CORRESPONDS WITH THE.
THERE'S A CHART AND A LIST OF MEETINGS.
I CAN. SO THIS IS JUST THE ONE SLIDE VERSION OF WHAT IS A MULTI-PAGE DOCUMENT.
BUT THE PROCESS FOR UPDATING PRINCE GEORGE'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN BREAKS DOWN ROUGHLY INTO THREE PHASES AND WE ARE CURRENTLY IN PHASE ONE OF THE PROJECT INPUT AND DATA GATHERING. WE'VE COMPLETED A DIAGNOSTIC OF THE CURRENT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, WHICH BENJAMIN WILL TALK ABOUT IN A LITTLE BIT.
THIS FIRST PHASE DATA GATHERING IS REALLY ABOUT IDENTIFYING CURRENT CONDITIONS TODAY IN PRINCE GEORGE, SO THAT WE CAN IDENTIFY THOSE KEY ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES AND PLANNING NEEDS.
OF COURSE, WE DO THAT THROUGH THE DIAGNOSTIC BY LOOKING AT EXISTING PLANS.
WE DO IT BY TALKING TO STAFF, PERFORMING DATA ANALYSIS.
SO WE'RE PULLING DEMOGRAPHIC DATA CURRENTLY AND THEN REACHING OUT TO THE COMMUNITY AT WHOLE THAT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ITEM, YOU SEE AND THAT'S DONE THROUGH A PUBLIC SURVEY, THROUGH PUBLIC WORKSHOPS AND FIVE FOCUS GROUPS AND I'LL COME BACK TO THOSE.
WE'LL TALK ABOUT THOSE IN A LOT MORE DETAIL.
SO AT THE END OF THIS FIRST PHASE, INPUT AND DATA GATHERING, WE WILL HAVE A BASELINE CONDITIONS ANALYSIS THAT WILL INCLUDE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA, EXISTING CONDITIONS DATA AND A SUMMARY OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.
BASICALLY WHAT WE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY THROUGH THE SURVEY WORKSHOPS AND FOCUS GROUPS.
FROM THERE, WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE DRAFTING PHASE AND THIS SLIDE IS VERY MISLEADING.
DRAFTING IS THE LONGEST PHASE IN THE PROCESS, BUT IT'S JUST A LITTLE TEENY TINY BAR UP THERE.
THOSE DATES ARE IN THE MEETING MATERIALS THAT YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU.
WE HAVE A MIDWAY CHECK IN WITH THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED FOR ABOUT DECEMBER OF THIS YEAR, WHERE WE'LL COME BACK TO YOU AND REPORT ON WHAT PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE, WHAT WE'VE HEARD, AND WHAT WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED.
AFTER ALL OF THE CHAPTERS ARE DRAFTED, WE MOVE INTO THE REVIEWING AND REFINING PHASE, PHASE THREE OF THE PROJECT AND THIS IS WHERE WE SUBMIT THE COMPILED PLAN BOTH TO DEQ, THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY, VDOT, THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, AND THEN PUBLISH THE PLAN FOR COMMENT FROM THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE AND THAT'S DONE BOTH THROUGH ONLINE COMMENT FORMS. SO THE PLAN WILL BE POSTED ONLINE.
[00:15:04]
PEOPLE CAN LOOK AT THE PLAN, THEY CAN LOOK AT POSTERS, THEY CAN ASK QUESTIONS OF STAFF, THEY CAN ASK QUESTIONS OF YOU AND THEN GIVE THEIR FEEDBACK ON THE PLAN, MAKING SURE THAT WE HEARD THEM RIGHT THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, THAT WE DRAFTED THE PLAN CORRECTLY, AND THEN MAKING ANY ADJUSTMENTS AS NECESSARY.AND THEN OF COURSE, FROM THERE WE MOVE INTO THE ADOPTION PHASE.
SO THERE'LL BE PUBLIC HEARINGS, FORMAL PUBLIC HEARINGS FOR THE PLAN.
AGAIN, ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PUBLIC TO COMMENT ON THE DOCUMENTS.
POINT OUT THAT OUR CONTRACT WITH THE COUNTY ALSO INCLUDES A CONCURRENT DIAGNOSTIC OF THE ZONING AND SUBDIVISION ORDINANCE, FIRST WITH FOR COMPLIANCE WITH STATE CODE AND PLANNING BEST PRACTICES, AND THE RESULTS OF THAT DIAGNOSTIC WILL BE PRESENTED TO THE BOARD IN MAY AND THEN PLANNING COMMISSION.
YOU WILL HEAR THE RESULTS AT YOUR FIRST WORK SESSION IN JULY.
AFTER THE COMP PLAN IS DRAFTED, WE'LL THEN REVISIT THAT DIAGNOSTIC AND LOOK AT YOUR ZONING AND SUBDIVISION ORDINANCES AGAIN TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE TALKING TO THE NEW COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO MAKE SURE THE TWO DOCUMENTS ARE TALKING TOGETHER.
ALL RIGHT. SO WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE WHAT AND THE WIN.
BUT I JUST I PUT THIS SLIDE UP HERE TO POINT OUT THAT THE BERKELEY GROUP, WE ARE HERE TO FACILITATE THE PROCESS, BUT THIS IS YOUR COMMUNITY AND YOU ALL ARE THE EXPERTS IN ALL THINGS PRINCE GEORGE.
WE'RE HERE TO DO THE HEAVY LIFTING OF DRAFTING AND WRITING AND RESEARCH, BUT WE REALLY RELY ON YOU ALL, ON THE COMMUNITY, ON STAFF THROUGHOUT EACH OF THESE THREE PHASES, FOR BROAD INPUT, FOR SYNTHESIZING INFORMATION SO THAT WE CAN DRAFT A PLAN THAT CAN BE ADOPTED AND USED EFFECTIVELY BY THE COUNTY AND THE LAST SLIDE IN THIS SECTION.
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE, YOUR ROLE AS THE BOARD, YOUR ROLE AS PLANNING COMMISSION? ULTIMATELY, THIS IS YOUR PLAN.
IT'S ATTENDING WORK SESSIONS, MAKING SURE YOU'RE READING DRAFTS, SHOWING UP READY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE HEARD THE COMMUNITY RIGHT, THAT WE'VE DRAFTED THE DOCUMENT CORRECTLY AND THEN, MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR ALL OF YOU IS TO ACT AS AMBASSADORS FOR THE PLAN, MAKING SURE THAT YOU ARE ENCOURAGING YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR NEIGHBORS, YOUR FAMILY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROCESS.
MAKING SURE PEOPLE KNOW AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THE PROCESS IS.
WHICH IS A GREAT SEGUE TO HOW THE PUBLIC IS INVOLVED IN THIS PLAN, BUT I'LL PAUSE.
ARE THERE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROCESS, THE SCHEDULE FOR THIS? THIS UPDATE? GREAT.
THIS IS VERY HARD TO READ, BUT YOU ALL HAVE IT IN YOUR PRINT MATERIALS I BELIEVE.
PRETTY SURE YOU DO [INAUDIBLE] BUT THIS IS THIS CHART IS ESSENTIALLY SHOWING YOU THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE.
WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO ACHIEVE THROUGH PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT? AND, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IS THE BACKBONE OF ANY PLANNING PROCESS AND THIS PROCESS IS NO DIFFERENT.
SO WE AIM TO FIRST EDUCATE AND INFORM THE PUBLIC, MAKE SURE THEY KNOW ABOUT THE PROCESS.
THEY KNOW WHAT THE PROCESS IS.
AND AGAIN, THAT'S DONE THROUGH THE SURVEY, THE WORKSHOPS AND THE FOCUS GROUPS AND THEN RECEIVING FEEDBACK AGAIN, MAKING SURE THAT WE CAPTURED THE IDEAS CORRECTLY, THAT WE HEARD THEM CORRECTLY AND THAT'S DONE THROUGH DRAFT REVIEW, THE PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE, AND EVENTUALLY THE PUBLIC HEARING PROCESS.
LET'S BREAK EACH OF THOSE DOWN.
HOW ARE WE GETTING THE WORD OUT? HOW ARE WE EDUCATING AND INFORMING PEOPLE ABOUT THIS PROCESS AGAIN, AND AS MANY WAYS AS POSSIBLE, AS MANY PLATFORMS AS WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO US HERE IN THE COUNTY.
WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT WORD OF MOUTH.
YOU ALL SHOULD BE SPREADING THE WORD ABOUT THE PROCESS.
[00:20:01]
INFORMATION ABOUT THE PLANNING PROCESS EVENTUALLY DRAFTS.AND THEN, OF COURSE, REGULAR MEDIA AND OTHER ADVERTISING MECHANISMS. WE HAVE DRAFT PRESS RELEASE LANGUAGE FLIERS AND OTHER INFORMATION CAN BE PUSHED TO NEWSPAPERS, RADIO, ANY TRADITIONAL MEDIA PLATFORMS AND THEN OF COURSE WE HAVE.
GOOD OLD FASHIONED FLIERS YOU HAVE IN YOUR MEETING PACKET.
THESE SHOULD BE DISTRIBUTED AGAIN TO FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS, SHOULD BE POSTED AT KEY LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY SO THAT PEOPLE CAN SEE THIS POSTER.
SCAN THE QR CODE. TAKE THE SURVEY.
KNOW WHEN ONE OF THE WORKSHOPS IS IS HAPPENING.
ALL RIGHT. THE PUBLIC INPUT SURVEY.
THE SURVEY IS AN ONLINE SURVEY.
WE HAD A SOFT LAUNCH OF IT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S WORKING, THOUGH IT WILL TECHNICALLY WILL GO LIVE APRIL 1ST AND IT WILL BE OPEN FOR 60 DAYS, ABOUT APRIL 1ST TO TO JUNE 1ST.
THEY CAN BE TAKEN ON YOUR OWN TIME.
SO DEFINITELY ENCOURAGE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, TO TAKE THE SURVEY.
IT SHOULD TAKE ONLY TEN MINUTES, 15 MINUTES IF YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT THE QUESTIONS HARD.
WE HAVE SCHEDULED THREE PUBLIC WORKSHOPS FOR THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.
THESE ARE HAPPENING IN MAY, MAY 8TH, 15TH AND 22ND RIGHT HERE AT THE LIBRARY.
BUT OF COURSE, IF YOU WANT TO ATTEND ALL THREE, WE'D BE HAPPY TO HAVE YOU AT ALL THREE.
THE WAY THESE WORKSHOPS USUALLY WORK, IT'S ABOUT A 90 MINUTE COMMITMENT.
AND THEN THE FUN PART OF IT IS WE GIVE PEOPLE BIG MAPS AND MARKERS, AND THEY GET TO HARNESS THEIR INNER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SELF AND DRAW ON MAPS AND ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT VARIOUS TOPICS PERTAINING TO THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
WE HAVE 5 FOCUS GROUPS SCHEDULED AS PART OF THIS PROCESS.
FOCUS GROUPS ARE THEY'RE A FORM OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THAT'S REALLY DESIGNED TO GAIN INPUT FROM ORGANIZATIONS, ENTITIES, BUSINESSES AND INDUSTRIES AS OPPOSED TO THE INDIVIDUAL CITIZEN AND REALLY THE GOAL IS TO HELP US UNDERSTAND ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES FROM THAT INDUSTRY'S PERSPECTIVE AS THEY APPLY TO PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY. FOCUS GROUPS AGAIN WILL BE CONDUCTED IN MAY, ON THE SAME DAY AS THE WORKSHOPS JUST EARLIER IN THE DAY AND THE GROUPS THAT WE HAVE IDENTIFIED ARE THERE, LISTED ON THE SCREEN.
BUT WE HAVE A HOUSING NEIGHBORHOOD AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION GROUP, LAND USE, MOBILITY AND TRANSPORTATION, ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES, BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES, PARKS AND REC.
INITIAL INVITES HAVE GONE OUT TO ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE IDENTIFIED THAT FIT WITHIN EACH OF THESE GROUPS AND OVER THE NEXT MONTH OR SO, AS RFPS ARE COMING IN, WE'LL BE CONTINUING TO BUILD THOSE GROUPS AND REFINE THEM.
IF YOU HAVE SUGGESTIONS FOR SPECIFIC PEOPLE THAT YOU OR ORGANIZATIONS THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE PART OF THESE GROUPS, PLEASE LET TIM KNOW AND WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT IF THEY'RE NOT ON THE LIST ALREADY, THAT WE GET THEM ON THERE.
ALL RIGHT. THAT WAS A WHOLE LOT IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
ARE THERE QUESTIONS ABOUT PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT BEFORE I TURN IT OVER TO BENJAMIN? QUESTIONS ABOUT ANYTHING HAVING TO DO WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
[00:25:01]
OKAY, WELL WE ARE HERE IF YOU DO HAVE QUESTIONS, FEEL FREE TO EMAIL THEM TO TIM AND WE'LL MAKE SURE TO ANSWER THEM.BUT I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO BENJAMIN WHO'S GOING TO TALK ABOUT WHAT WE HAVE HEARD SO FAR.
GOOD EVENING. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
PLANNING COMMISSION. MY NAME IS BENJAMIN TRIPP WITH THE BERKELEY GROUPS.
PLEASURE TO BE HERE WITH YOU TONIGHT.
SO, AS CATHERINE SAID THIS PORTION OF THE PRESENTATION IS ABOUT THE DATA THAT WE'VE GATHERED SO FAR.
WE HAVE BEEN WORKING A LITTLE BIT ALREADY.
WE'VE LOOKED AT THE CHESAPEAKE BAY ACT, AND WE'VE COMPARED IT AGAINST APA'S BEST PRACTICES.
SO THE NEXT FEW SLIDES, WE'LL TALK ABOUT SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE'VE KIND OF IDENTIFIED AS WAYS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO ADD TO WHAT YOU'VE ALREADY GOT. SO THE FIRST ONE HERE YOU HAVE CODE OF VIRGINIA KEY FINDINGS AND, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE, YOU MIGHT CALL THEM DEFICIENCIES, BUT YOU MIGHT CALL THEM OPPORTUNITIES TOO AND THEY'RE VERY COMMON THINGS THAT NEED TO BE UPDATED IN MOST PLANS.
YOU CAN SEE THERE, YOU KNOW, NUMBER ONE, A ROBUST PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS.
NUMBER TWO, MORE THOROUGH ANALYSIS OF TRANSPORTATION CONDITIONS AND PRIORITIES.
SOME OF THOSE THINGS HAVE KIND OF COME ALONG A LITTLE BIT SINCE 2018.
YOU KNOW, BROADBAND IS MORE OF AN ISSUE TODAY THAN IT WAS IN THE PAST.
SOMETIMES, ALTHOUGH I THINK YOU GUYS HAVE DONE PRETTY WELL WITH THAT SO FAR.
HERE ARE FOUR THINGS THAT ARE KIND OF OUR KEY FINDINGS FOR THAT.
UPDATING ALL THE MAPS FOR THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AREAS, WETLANDS SHORELANDS POLLUTION SOURCES, ALL OF THAT DATA THAT NEEDS TO BE INCLUDED IN THE PLAN PER THE CODE DOCUMENT, CONSTRAINTS TO DEVELOPMENT BETTER EXPLAIN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FUTURE LAND USE AND WATER QUALITY, AND THEN UPDATED POLICY STATEMENTS, PROJECTS AND IMPLEMENTATION.
I'M SORRY, IMPLEMENTATION STEPS, KIND OF HOW YOU'RE GOING TO DO WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO TO MEET THE ACT'S REQUIREMENTS AND THEN IN TERMS OF BEST PRACTICES, THESE KEY FINDINGS, LIKE I SAID, BERKELEY GROUP USES THE APA SUSTAINING PLACES DOCUMENT TO ASSESS BEST PRACTICES.
THESE ARE THE INDUSTRY STANDARDS FOR COMMUNITY PLANNING AND THESE ARE HIGHLIGHTED.
YOU KNOW, THEY'RE IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY MEET THE CODE REQUIREMENTS.
BUT THEY AFFECT THE AND IMPROVE THE OVERALL USABILITY OF THE PLAN AS WELL.
NUMBER TWO, WEAVING THAT PUBLIC INPUT THAT WE WANT TO GATHER REALLY THROUGHOUT THE PLAN SO THAT YOU CAN SEE HOW IT LED TO THE THINGS THAT YOU'RE DOING AND EVEN ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE IMPLEMENTATION SECTIONS, INCLUDING BEST PRACTICES FOR POLLUTION REDUCTION, MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT, FOOD HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS, PUBLIC SAFETY AND RECREATION, OF COURSE, AS YOU IN THE PUBLIC SEE FIT AND THEN NUMBER FOUR, UPDATING THAT IMPLEMENTATION MATRIX, WHICH IS REALLY WHERE THE RUBBER HITS THE ROAD FOR THE CURRENT GOALS, THE CONDITIONS, THE TIMELINES, AND WHO IS THE RESPONSIBLE PARTY.
IT'S THE ROADMAP OF HOW YOU GET IT DONE.
WE HAVE ALSO CONDUCTED DEPARTMENTAL INTERVIEWS WITH YOUR DIRECTORS.
YOU HAVE A GREAT STAFF HERE AT THE COUNTY.
YOU SHOULD HAVE A COPY OF THIS.
I BELIEVE IN YOUR PACKET THERE, BUT THERE ARE SOME KEY THEMES THAT EMERGED FROM THOSE DISCUSSIONS.
THE ROLE OF WATER AND SEWER CAPACITY IN DEVELOPMENT AS A LIMITING FACTOR OR AS AN OPPORTUNITY.
THE DEMAND FOR HOUSING ON THE FIVE ACRE LOTS POTENTIAL FOR MORE OF AN URBAN AREA, IF DESIRED, HERE AROUND THE GOVERNMENT COMPLEX OR IN SOME OTHER AREAS, THE WATER AND SEWER CAPACITY IN THE INDUSTRIAL PARKS AND REALLY, YOU KNOW, THINKING ABOUT WHAT RURAL CHARACTER MEANS FOR THE RESIDENTS.
SO WE'VE DONE ALL OF THAT SO FAR.
BUT WHAT WE'D REALLY LIKE TO DO NOW IS GET YOUR PERSPECTIVE.
[00:30:10]
FIRST PAGE. BUT HERE IS THE QR CODE AGAIN.HAS EVERYONE GOTTEN INTO IT? DO YOU HAVE YOUR DEVICE AVAILABLE? [INAUDIBLE] I'LL GO AHEAD AND PULL UP OUR FIRST QUESTION.
THIS IS A CALIBRATION QUESTION.
THE QUESTION IS, HOW LONG HAVE YOU LIVED IN PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY? MISS ELDER, IS IT WORKING FOR YOU? YES. EXCELLENT.
SO IN AND AS YOU ENTER YOUR RESPONSE, IT WILL POPULATE ON THE SCREEN HERE.
SO YOU CAN SEE, YOU KNOW HOW LONG EVERYBODY'S BEEN HERE.
SO I'LL GIVE EVERYONE JUST A MINUTE TO GO AHEAD AND ENTER YOUR RESPONSE.
IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A LOT OF LONG TIME RESIDENTS.
MORE THAN 70% OF YOU HAVE SELECTED G, MORE THAN 25 YEARS.
YOU WANT TO FILL IT OUT? HAS EVERYONE ENTERED? EVERYONE RESPONDED. YES, SIR.
SO, YEAH, A LOT OF EXPERIENCE IN THE ROOM.
SO WE'LL GO ON TO OUR NEXT QUESTION HERE.
WHAT DOES THE COUNTY DO WELL? AND IT SHOULD HAVE CHANGED ON YOUR SCREEN.
LET ME KNOW IF IT DID NOT FOR THIS QUESTION.
YOU CAN TYPE IN ANYTHING YOU WANT.
OUR FIRST ANSWER IS BROADBAND.
BROADBAND AND IF YOU WANT TO SECOND SOMETHING, YOU CAN TYPE IT AGAIN.
THE MORE FREQUENTLY THE WORD IS USED, THE LARGER IT WILL GET ON THE SCREEN.
SO THESE, SINCE THEY'RE ALL THE SAME SIZE, HAVE ONLY BEEN USED ONCE.
IT'S ALWAYS FUN WATCHING IT CHANGE.
I'LL GIVE YOU GUYS JUST A FEW MORE MOMENTS.
[00:35:09]
THE WORD CLOUD HERE AND TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT JUMPS OUT.SO THERE'S A FEW THINGS HERE THAT ARE BIGGER, RIGHT.
WHICH MEANS THAT YOU HAVE USED THAT WORD MORE FREQUENTLY AND THERE'S ALSO SOME THINGS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO SO FOR EXAMPLE, THE BIGGEST WORD ON THE SCREEN IS POLICE.
THEY'VE ONLY BEEN USED ONCE, PROBABLY THIS IS A SMALL GROUP, BUT YOU CAN SEE CRIME ARRESTS.
YOU CAN SEE SAFETY, EMERGENCY SERVICES, FIREFIGHTERS.
THANK YOU. THERE'S ANOTHER ONE.
SO JUST LOOKING AT THIS, I WOULD SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, SORT OF FIRE, EMS, POLICE ARE THINGS THAT YOU VALUE AND WOULD ANY OF YOU LIKE TO ELABORATE ON THAT TO TELL ME IS THAT THE CASE? AND WHAT DO YOU FIND VALUABLE ABOUT IT? HOW DOES THE COUNTY DO THOSE WELL? JUST ANYBODY THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK UP.
I THINK THEY DO THEM WELL BECAUSE THEY WENT FROM BEING ALL VOLUNTEER TO NOW BEING MOST OF THEM, I GUESS A LOT OF THEM PAID, LET ME PUT IT THAT WAY.
BUT STILL THE VOLUNTEER ARE ACTIVE.
EXCELLENT. STRONG VOLUNTEER BASE.
ANY OTHERS? I'LL SPEAK TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
I THINK WE GOT A VERY GOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT IN THE COUNTY.
THEY RESPOND. WE HAVE A FAIRLY LOW CRIME RATE CONSIDERING THE COMMUNITIES THAT SURROUND US.
THAT'S GREAT, I THINK WE REALLY GET A GOOD BANG FOR OUR BUCK WITH OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT.
YOU SEE, MANY OFFICERS ON THE ROAD.
THEY'RE OUT AND ABOUT, AND THEY'RE MAKING THEMSELVES SEEN IN THE COMMUNITIES.
SO I THINK THAT'S A BIG PLUS FOR THIS COUNTY.
YOU KNOW, THEY'RE REALLY WIDE PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY IS PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY AND, YOU KNOW, OUR COUNTY ADMINISTRATORS AND OUR DIRECTORS HOLD OUR PEOPLE TO A STANDARD OF SERVICE DELIVERY. WE EXPECT.
WHEN I THINK OF PUBLIC SAFETY, IT'S ALL THE ABOVE.
EVERYTHING INVOLVES ANYTHING TO DO WITH KEEPING THE CITIZENS SAFE.
SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT COMING OUT WHERE THEY'RE GOING AT NIGHT.
ANYTHING THAT'S LOCATED IN PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY.
I MEAN, IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT'S SOMETHING YOU GUYS ARE REALLY PROUD OF AS A COMMUNITY, RIGHT? DO A GOOD JOB. YEAH.
THAT'S AWESOME. THAT'S LIKE A BIG ANOTHER ASPECT TOO IS YOU KNOW THEY DON'T COMPLAIN.
IT'S A LARGE TERRITORY TO COVER FOR ALL OF THOSE THAT PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES.
AND THEY DO IT IRREGARDLESS OF WHAT THE CONDITIONS ARE.
YOU KNOW, THEY SIT THERE AND THEY PROVIDE THAT SERVICE DAY IN AND DAY OUT AND THAT'S IMPORTANT.
IT'S AMAZING TO HAVE DEDICATED PEOPLE LIKE THAT.
ANY OTHER ITEMS THAT ARE UP HERE.
ANYONE LIKE TO DISCUSS THAT? I THINK WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO, BUT, I MEAN, WE STEPPED OUT THERE WITH THE HELP OF PRINCE GEORGE ELECTRIC CO-OP, PROVIDING THE FIBER TO THAT'S HOW WE GOT STARTED AND PRINCE GEORGE HAS BEEN A MODEL FOR OTHER LOCALITIES THAT ARE IN NEED.
THE CHALLENGE I THINK THAT WE FACE RIGHT NOW IS MORE BECAUSE WE'RE SERVICED BY TWO DIFFERENT ELECTRIC COMPANIES AND SO WHILE WE PLEASE A LOT OF THE CITIZENS IN THE COUNTY THAT ARE ON PRINCE GEORGE CO-OP WE HAVE A LOT THAT ARE STILL UPSET BECAUSE THEY'RE ON ANOTHER PROVIDER THAT ISN'T QUITE MOVING AT THAT SAME PACE.
SO BUT OVERALL, I THINK I KNOW THE BOARD THIS THE BOARD HAS MADE A COMMITMENT TO INVEST IN BROADBAND BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND THE NEED. YEAH. YOU CAN'T HAVE STUDENTS DOING HOMEWORK AT HOME OR ANYWHERE IF THEY DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO BROADBAND.
ABSOLUTELY. IT'S A CRITICAL ISSUE.
IT IS. YEAH. YOU GUYS SHOULD BE COMMENDED FOR THE WORK YOU'VE DONE ON IT.
ANYONE ELSE? BEFORE WE GO ON TO THE NEXT QUESTION.
[00:40:05]
NO. ALL RIGHT, WELL, LET'S FLIP THE COIN.WHAT ARE THINGS THE COUNTY COULD IMPROVE ON? AND IT SHOULD WORK THE SAME WAY.
I BELIEVE THE QUESTION HAS CHANGED ON YOUR PHONES AND JUST TYPE IN WHATEVER COMES TO YOUR MIND.
SO OUR LARGEST WORD SO FAR IS VOLUNTEERS.
I ALSO APPRECIATE THAT ONE OF YOU IS USING HYPHENS TO MAKE EVERYTHING ONE WORD SO IT STAYS TOGETHER.
I'M NOT SURE WHO'S DOING THAT, BUT GOOD JOB.
SOME OF OURS ARE STILL ON WHAT DOES THE COUNTY DO? WELL. OKAY, YOU MIGHT MAYBE HIT RELOAD THEN IF YOU'RE STILL ON THE OTHER PAGE.
SORRY ABOUT THAT. [INAUDIBLE].
WAIT A MINUTE. I'M GOING TO TRY UPDATE.
WHAT DID YOU HIT? PULL IT DOWN TO REFRESH ON YOURS.
GIVE YOU GUYS JUST ANOTHER MOMENT.
SO THE WORD THAT SURPRISED ME TO SEE WAS VOLUNTEERS.
I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THAT.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT VOLUNTEERS THAT COULD BE IMPROVED ON? I DON'T SEE ANYBODY WANTING TO JUMP, SO I'LL JUMP WITH YOU.
THANK YOU, MR. COX. WE HAVE A VERY SEVERE DISCONNECT BETWEEN OUR VOLUNTEERS AND OUR PAID STAFF.
[00:45:02]
IS IT SOMETHING THAT CANNOT BE FIXED? NO, IT CAN BE FIXED.BUT THAT RIGHT NOW IS WHAT WE SEE.
AND I'M HEARING A LOT OF IS THAT WE'RE JUST NOT.
WE DON'T HAVE A BALANCE, SO TO SPEAK.
AND FRANKLY, THE COUNTY CANNOT AFFORD THE PAID STAFF WE WOULD NEED AND THE EQUIPMENT.
SO WE'VE GOT TO HAVE A BALANCE OF THE TWO AND WE'VE GOT TO WORK TOWARDS THAT.
THANK YOU. HOW ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE? I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS IS WITH THE PARTICULARLY WITH THE ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF PERIODS OF RAIN HERE LATELY, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO TOO FAR FROM THIS BUILDING TO FIND ROADS THAT ARE FLOODED, DITCHES THAT ARE OVERRUN, CULVERTS THAT MEAN DITCHES NEED TO BE CLEANED, CULVERTS NEED TO BE REPLACED. AND I KNOW THAT'S LARGELY IN PART TO VDOT.
YEAH, I THINK ALSO WATER AND SEWER IS A HUGE ISSUE.
LIKE I KNOW WE APPROVED LIKE WE SENT IT TO THE BOARD AND THE BOARD APPROVED A MEADERY COMING TO PRINCE GEORGE AND WHAT'S STOPPING THEM FROM FINISHING WHAT THEY'RE DOING IS NOT BEING ABLE TO CONNECT TO WATER.
SO LIKE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE GOOD FOR THE COMMUNITY.
YEAH, GETTING THAT INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE FOR THAT DEVELOPMENT.
SO. BUT FALLS ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE AS A GROCERY STORE.
OKAY. WE HAVE ONE CURRENTLY ONE GROCERY STORE IN THE COUNTY AND THAT SITS ON PRINCE GEORGE DRIVE NEXT TO HOPEWELL, RIGHT WHERE THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COUNTY HAS VERY LACKING DOWN TOWARDS [INAUDIBLE], VERY LACKING.
WE DO NOT HAVE A DRUGSTORE IN PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY AND WHEN WE DID HAVE ONE, IT WAS LOCATED ON PUDDLE DOCK, WHICH YOU COULD DRIVE TO HOPEWELL OR PETERSBURG QUICKER THAN GOING OVER THERE. SO THAT'S TWO THINGS I HEAR A LOT ABOUT IS A GROCERY STORE AND A DRUGSTORE.
GOT PLENTY OF TRUCK STOPS? PLENTY. I WANT TO MAKE TWO COMMENTS.
ONE IS ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE PIECE, AND I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD GOING ON SEVEN YEARS WHEN IT CAME TO AND I'M BEING REALLY CAREFUL NOT TO THROW ANY GROUP UNDER THE BUS.
BUT THE WAY THINGS WERE DONE, A GOOD TIME BACK STIFLED GROWTH.
THERE'S OTHER WAYS TO CONTROL HOW MANY AND WHO CONNECTS TO THAT.
BUT YOU YOU HAVE TO MAKE WE ALL SITTING UP HERE HAVE TO MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS, NOT JUST FOR TODAY, BUT WHAT'S RIGHT FOR PRINCE GEORGE, AS YOU SAY, WITH THIS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 20 YEARS FROM NOW.
AND SO WE'RE WE TALK ALL THE TIME.
THE SAME THING WITH THE GROCERY STORES AND, AND ALL THE OTHER THINGS I HEAR.
IT'S NOT THAT WE'RE NOT TRYING, WE'RE TRYING BUT WE'RE NOT GETTING THE INTEREST, WHETHER IT'S BECAUSE THERE'S NOT ENOUGH ROOFTOPS OR THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T SEE THAT AND HEAR THAT.
THEY JUST DON'T SEE THE GROCERY STORE COMING OR THE DRUG STORE IS NOT THAT THE COUNTY IS NOT TRYING.
COUNTY WISE, WHETHER IT'S THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATION, THE SCHOOL DIVISION OR OTHER GROUPS, WE ALL NEED TO BE ON THE SAME SHEET OF MUSIC AND RIGHT NOW, THERE'S TOO MUCH OF A DISCONNECT BETWEEN ONE SIDE HAS ONE SET OF POLICIES AND THE OTHER SIDE HAS ANOTHER SET OF POLICIES.
BUT THE PUBLIC SEES US ALL AS ONE.
AND WHEN THEY DON'T SEE THE COMMONALITY AS TO HOW WE OPERATE AND DO BUSINESS AND STUFF LIKE THAT, THAT IS A BIG CONCERN FOR ME BECAUSE TECHNICALLY THERE'S ONLY ONE PRINCE GEORGE THERE'S NOT A SCHOOL DIVISION PRINCE GEORGE THERE'S NOT A ADMIN SIDE OF PRINCE GEORGE, IT'S PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY AND WE NEED TO OPERATE AS ONE.
SO THAT'S MY SOAPBOX FOR TONIGHT.
THANK YOU, MR. BROWN. THESE ARE GOOD POINTS.
[00:50:01]
ANYONE ELSE? ANY OTHER TOPICS UP HERE? WE DID HAVE A DRUGSTORE IN THIS COUNTY FOR A LONG TIME.I DON'T KNOW WHY IT LAUGHED BECAUSE IT WAS A GREAT DRUGSTORE.
BUT INDEPENDENT DRUGSTORE? YES. ANYONE ELSE? ALL RIGHT, WELL, WE'VE GOT ONE MORE FOR YOU HERE.
SOME OF THESE YOU MIGHT HAVE TALKED ABOUT ALREADY.
BUT THE QUESTION HERE IS WHAT SPECIFIC GOALS OR PROJECTS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THE COUNTY FOCUS ON? THERE IT IS, DRUGSTORE.
THERE'S LOTS OF GREAT IDEAS HERE.
I'LL GIVE YOU JUST ANOTHER MINUTE.
WHEN YOU ASK FOR COMMENTS, I'D LIKE TO MAKE ONE.
MR. BROWN, WOULD YOU LIKE TO START US OFF? WELL, JUST QUICKLY LOOKING AT THE LIST AS IT WAS POPPING UP, I SAW TWO VERY DISTINCT PARALLEL PATHS.
ONE SIDE TO ME WOULD START WITH INFRASTRUCTURE BEING AT THE TOP, BECAUSE THAT LEADS TO RESTAURANTS.
THAT LEADS TO BRINGING IN MORE BUSINESSES.
THAT SECONDARY PATH WAS LAND USE AND ALL OF THE THINGS THAT GO WITH THAT TO KEEPING PRINCE GEORGE RURAL TO, YOU KNOW, AS FIVE ACRES TO RIGHT THING IS OR DO WE HAVE TOO MANY SPECIAL EXCEPTIONS? SO IT'S JUST LOOKING AT WHAT WAS POPPING UP ON THE SCREEN, EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE ALL VERY GOOD RESPONSES.
A LOT OF THESE FALL INTO ONE OF THOSE TWO CATEGORIES.
[00:55:01]
YES, SIR. YEAH.THANK YOU. I THOUGHT IT WAS INTERESTING.
WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO DISCUSS THAT? I ALSO SAW THE WORD RULE UP THERE.
I WASN'T SURE IF IT WAS RULE CONSERVATION OR IT WAS A DIFFERENT KIND OF CONSERVATION.
AS FAR AS CONSERVATION GOES, I PUT IT UP THERE AS WELL.
SO A LITTLE BIT, YOU KNOW, ONE ACRE LOTS INSTEAD OF A GIANT CITY IN ONE AREA.
I MEAN, I PUT ENTERTAINMENT AND RESTAURANTS AND INFRASTRUCTURE.
MY MONEY DOESN'T GET SPENT IN PRINCE GEORGE LIKE, I LOVE IT HERE, I'VE MOVED HERE.
I HAVE A TEENAGER AND NOW MY CHILD'S IN THE COAST GUARD, SO HE'S NOT HERE ANYMORE.
BUT THEY SPEND THEIR MONEY IN COLONIAL HEIGHTS IN CHESTER.
THEY DRIVE, THEY GO OUT WITH THEIR FRIENDS.
THERE'S NOT ANYTHING FOR ME TO SPEND MY MONEY ON HERE.
SO I FEEL LIKE THERE'S A WHOLE GENERATION AND A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO FEEL THE SAME WAY.
ELABORATE A LITTLE BIT ON WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO SPEND YOUR MONEY ON HERE? YEAH, SURE. WHAT IS IT THAT'S MISSING? THE GROCERY STORE. I GO TO KROGER, I GO TO PUBLIX, I GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.
SO, LIKE, I'M NOT GOING TO GO OUT OF MY WAY TO GO TO THEIR MOVIES.
WE GO TO CHESTER OR COLONIAL HEIGHTS.
THERE'S A HANDFUL OF RESTAURANTS HERE, BUT THEY'RE STILL NOT THAT MANY CHOICES.
YOU CAN ONLY GO EAT ITALIAN OR MEXICAN SO MANY TIMES.
ANYTHING ELSE UP HERE? WELL, THE ONE THING IN THE RURAL AREA OF THE COUNTY IS WITH THESE FIVE ACRE LOTS.
IT TAKES THESE BIGGER FARMS, DIVIDES THEM UP, AND YOU'VE GOT.
WELL, YOU SUBDIVISIONS SCATTERED ALL OVER THE COUNTY.
THERE'S NO. SET AREA FOR THEM.
THANK YOU. I ALSO THINK THE REASON FOR THE GROCERY STORES IS THAT YOU CAN GO INTO ANYWHERE.
WHEN YOU STOP TO GET GAS, YOU CAN GET ALMOST ANYTHING YOU WANT AND MOST OF THOSE LITTLE.
AREAS LIKE THAT, LIKE THE FAST FOOD STUFF AND EVERYTHING AND PEOPLE ARE BUSY.
THEY DO NOT COOK LIKE WE USED TO COOK WHEN WE WERE, YOU KNOW, MARRIED AND EVERYTHING.
THEY STAY, THEY GO OUT AND EAT THEIR FAST FOOD PEOPLE.
YOU KNOW, SO IT'S HARD TO JUDGE WHETHER THEY'RE GOING TO MAKE MONEY OR NOT, AND THEY'RE NOT GOING TO PUT LOOK HOW MUCH IT COSTS TO BUILD THESE THINGS AND SO THEY'VE GOT TO.
THAT'S WHY ALL THESE FAST BIG TRUCK STOPS AND EVERYTHING COME AROUND BECAUSE THEY'RE STEADILY THE TRUCKS ARE STEADILY MOVING THE STUFF EVERYWHERE.
YOU DID HAVE A GROCERY STORE ONE TIME IN THE CROSSINGS AND IT LEFT.
YEAH AND ONE OF THE THINGS I'VE NOTICED IS THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE COMING HERE, FAST FOOD, THINGS LIKE THAT, THEY CAN'T FIND EMPLOYEES, THEY CAN'T FIND WORKERS TO WORK. SO THEY'RE CLOSED AT 9:00 IN THE MORNING OR 5:00 IN THE EVENING BECAUSE NOBODY WANTS TO WORK.
YOU'RE CLOSE TO WHAT SURROUNDS US.
AND A LOT OF PEOPLE TALK ABOUT WHY DO WE HAVE SO MUCH, SO MANY.
I'M NOT GOING TO CALL THEM TRUCK STOPS, BUT PLACES FOR FUELING ON 460.
WELL, 460 IS A MAJOR CORRIDOR TO GET FROM RICHMOND DOWN TO VIRGINIA BEACH.
IT'S AN EVACUATION ROUTE, YOU KNOW.
[01:00:07]
SO IT'S NOT LIKE WE JUST DON'T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE BETTER TO TRY TO PUT OUT THERE.IT'S WHAT'S BEING KIND OF, I'M GOING TO SAY PUT OUT THERE MARKETED, YOU KNOW, FROM THE STATE LEVEL ON DOWN BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT'S EASY ACCESS TO 95, 295, 85.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S ONE OF THE PUSHES I'D LIKE TO SEE OF GOING TO AN ESTATE WHERE THEY CAN.
IF A DEVELOPER COMES IN AND BUYS A 200 ACRE TRACT OF LAND RIGHT NOW, THEY'RE DEVELOPING.
WHAT IS IT, TEN HOMES OR TEN SITES ON IT? WELL, IF EVERY FIVE ACRES IS A HOMESTEAD.
SO INSTEAD OF DOING THAT, LET THEM BUILD ON ONE ACRE LOTS.
THE STICKY THING TO ME, AND I'VE ALWAYS SAID THIS IS WHEN IT COMES TO THE INFRASTRUCTURE.
WE'VE GOT AN INDUSTRIAL AREA AND I'M NOT ABOUT DIRTY INDUSTRY.
I'M TALKING ABOUT CLEAN INDUSTRY BECAUSE WE DID NOT HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND UTILITIES.
WE MISSED OUT, POTENTIALLY MISSED OUT ON A WATER BOTTLING PLANT.
CLEAN INDUSTRY TOOL, MACHINERY TAX.
IT'S A BOTTLING PLANT AND WE HAD NOWHERE NEAR THE CAPACITY AND THAT ALL STARTED BACK MR. BROWN TOUCHED ON IT BACK IN 2014 WHEN WE DID AWAY WITH THE WATER AUTHORITY, AND IT WAS A MAJORITY OF THIS BOARD AT THAT TIME AND THAT'S WHY WE JUST GOT WATER AND SEWER WITH ALL THE MONEY WE'VE DUMPED INTO IT, ALL THE ARPA MONEY WE'VE GOT, A UTILITY DEPARTMENT HAS DONE A GREAT JOB,MR. STOKES LEADING IT TO GET WATER AND SEWER DOWN A COUPLE OF SUBDIVISIONS AND THE OTHER THING IS, IN TODAY'S WORLD, YOU GOT TO HAVE 3500 GPM ON, LIKE A FIRE HYDRANT TO MAINTAIN IT, TO PROTECT THE HOMES AND STUFF.
IS THAT CORRECT, PHILIP? I'M PRETTY IT VARIES.
IT VARIES. IT'S ALL ABOUT GALLONS PER MINUTE.
GALLONS PER MINUTE AND WE DON'T HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT THAT.
THE OTHER THING THAT BOTHERS ME A LOT OF TIMES IS HOW YOU BREAK THE LAND UP.
THERE ARE PLENTY OF PEOPLE, FARMERS SAY A FARMER, HE'S WORKED AND WORKED THE FARM ALL HIS LIFE AND HE, YOU KNOW, NOBODY WANTS TO FARM IT AND HIS KIDS DON'T WANT IT, OR HE DOESN'T HAVE ANY KIDS.
MAYBE HE DIDN'T WASN'T FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO PLAN FOR IT.
SO HE SELLS IT, LIKE YOU SAY, AND HE GOES TO A DEVELOPMENT.
BUT YOU ALSO GOT TO ACCOUNT SCHOOLS, SCHOOL BUSSES THERE'S A COST TO THAT.
EVERY KID DESERVES AN EDUCATION.
I'M NOT SAYING THEY DON'T, BUT RUNNING A SCHOOL BUS 30 MILES.
ONE WAY TO PICK UP TWO KIDS IS NOT COST EFFECTIVE.
NOT IN THE WORLD I LIVE IN IT.
WE'VE GOT THE OTHER QUESTION I'VE GOT.
IF YOU LISTEN TO A LOT OF PEOPLE AND LOOK AROUND THE COUNTRY, WHAT PEOPLE ARE BUYING, THE YOUNGER GENERATION DOES NOT WANT FIVE ACRES LIKE I GOT TO MAINTAIN. THEY DON'T WANT IT.
THEY SOME OF THEM DON'T EVEN WANT TO BE ABLE TO GET OUT THERE AND PUSH A LAWNMOWER ON A 30 ACRE LOT.
SO IT'S KIND OF BASED ON, YOU KNOW, WHAT, YOU KNOW, DEMOGRAPHIC ARE YOU LOOKING TOWARDS AND WHERE YOU PUT THEM? CHESTERFIELD'S BEEN SUCCESSFUL WITH THESE.
I GUESS YOU CALL THEM A TOWN CENTER WHERE YOU'VE GOT YOUR COFFEE SHOP AND A LITTLE SNACK SHOP AND DONUTS OR WHATEVER, AND YOU'VE GOT RESTAURANTS AND ALL, AND THEN THEY'VE GOT APARTMENTS EITHER IN THE SAME AREA OR ABOVE.
SO I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS.
WE STARTED YEARS AGO WITH GO GREEN.
THIS THING THEY GOT OUT THERE KEPT ASKING, OKAY, HOW STURDY ARE WE ON THIS IF WE GET PUSHED? SO WE TRY TO PUT AN ORDINANCE IN TO LIMIT OR JUST PUT A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF ACREAGE THAT COULD BE USED FOR SOLAR FARMS. ALL RIGHT. WELL, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY JUST PUT IT OFF, BUT THE LAST TIME I READ IT, UNLESS THEY BRING IT BACK TALKING 2025, THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT GOING TO THE SCC AND GOING AROUND US WITH THEIR LOBBYISTS.
AND WHAT I GOT TOLD TODAY IS I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S TRUE.
THEY'VE GOT ENOUGH REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS TO SUPPORT IT, THAT THE STATE WILL MANDATE IF THEY GET THE PERMIT, AND ALL IT WOULD TAKE COMPLETELY OUT OF THE LOCALS HANDS.
IT'S NOT THAT THIS IS THE RIGHT PLATFORM.
Y'ALL NEED TO GET THE WORD OUT.
YOU NEED TO CALL THESE DELEGATES AND TELL THEM THAT THEY'RE SCREWING UP BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT THAT.
[01:05:03]
I'LL GET OFF MY SOAPBOX.THANK YOU, MR. WEBB, WITH YOU ON THE FIVE ACRES.
WHEN I BOUGHT MY HOUSE, I WAITED UNTIL A HOUSE IN A SUBDIVISION WAS FOR SALE.
I DID NOT WANT FIVE ACRES OF LAND.
WELL, I WANT TO SAY, YOU TALKING ABOUT THEY DON'T HAVE, YOU DON'T HAVE ANYWHERE TO GO IN PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, RIGHT? YOU NEED TO.
YEARS AGO THEY TRIED TO DO, LIKE A DANCE HALL OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
WE DON'T HAVE THE POLICE TO MONITOR THESE TYPES OF THINGS.
SO THAT WOULD BE INCREASED POLICE TO WATCH OUT FOR PEOPLE THAT PROBABLY MAY GET DRUNK, THEY MAY GET IN FIGHTS AND WHATEVER. SO THAT WAS.
TRIED YEARS AGO IN PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY TO HAVE A DANCE HALL AND THIS KIND OF THING AND IT WAS KNOCKED DOWN, PRINCIPALLY BECAUSE OF THE POLICE.
BUT. WELL, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL.
THIS IS THE END OF THIS PORTION OF THE PRESENTATION.
SO GIVE YOURSELVES A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE.
THANK YOU AND THAT REALLY KIND OF TAKES US TO THE END OF THINGS.
IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE BEING HERE WITH YOU TONIGHT.
WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT GETTING THE PROCESS UNDERWAY AND AND MOVING FORWARD.
I WILL ASK STAFF IF ANY OF YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO ADD OR.
ALL RIGHT. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION.
YOU CAN CHECK FOR [INAUDIBLE].
YES, SIR. MR. COX, I JUST WANT TO MAKE ONE COMMENT.
MISS [INAUDIBLE] AND MR. STEELE, WE NEED YOU ALL TO BE THE WARRIORS TO GET THIS INFORMATION OUT SO PEOPLE CAN DO THE SURVEYS.
SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO BE ON THIS.MR. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU ALL.
BY THE WAY, SINCE YOU DIDN'T ASK IF THE PUBLIC HAD SOMETHING TO SAY.
YES. BEFORE WE WRAP UP, I WAS GOING TO ASK IF YOU HAD ANY QUESTIONS.
I'M SORRY. YEAH. I MEAN, IT'S MORE SINCE MY INVOLVEMENT BOTH AS A CITIZEN AND AS THE COUNTY.
YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY'S VERY WELL INTENTIONED IN TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING.
BUT WHAT I'VE ALSO SEEN IS SOMETIMES THE COUNTY AND THE COMMUNITIES HAVE HURT THEMSELVES, AND THAT THEY WORK SO HARD TO TRY TO HELP PEOPLE GET WHAT THEY WANT TO GET THAT I DON'T SEE.
SO LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, YEARS AGO, ANYBODY COULD BUY LAND AND DIVIDE IT INTO FIVE ACRES.
IT DIDN'T MATTER, BUT IT WAS CAUSING THESE MASS SUBDIVISIONS POPPING UP EVERYWHERE.
WELL, NOW WE'RE HAVING REPEATED EXEMPTIONS BECAUSE FAMILIES ARE TRYING TO DIVIDE THEIR FARMS TO THEIR CHILDREN AND CAN'T BECAUSE WE'VE RESTRICTED IT SO MUCH THAT IT'S PREVENTING THE FAMILY USE OF THE FARMS OR, YOU KNOW, CITIZENS AND NEIGHBORHOODS ARE UPSET BECAUSE THINGS HAVE BEEN APPROVED AND PASSED, THAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN HELPED TO OBTAIN, YOU KNOW, GOALS OF WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO DO, AND NOBODY'S DOING BACKGROUNDS OR SEARCHES TO SEE THAT RIGHT OF WAYS THAT HAVE BEEN IN PLACE FOR 200 YEARS ARE BEING VIOLATED.
YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE THERE ALWAYS NEEDS TO BE, YOU KNOW, IN MY LINE OF BUSINESS, WE ALWAYS HAVE TO DO RISK ASSESSMENTS AND IMPACT ASSESSMENTS TO MAKE DECISIONS AND A LOT OF THE EXCEPTIONS WE'VE SEEN COME THROUGH HERE, TO ME, IS BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO BE [INAUDIBLE] YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE, OH, WE GO TOO FAR AND THEN, OH, WE GOT TO CHANGE IT.
SURE AND I THINK PART OF THAT ISSUE, BECAUSE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT ON THE BOARD SIDE, ON THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, WHEN WE'VE MADE UPDATES TO ORDINANCES, SOMETIMES I THINK WE'RE FACED WITH AN ISSUE AND YOU WANT TO ADDRESS IT SO QUICK THAT YOU JUST GO OUT THERE AND YOU THROW SOMETHING AT IT AND YEAH, YOU SOLVE THAT IMMEDIATE.
SO I THINK SOMETIMES WE JUST HAVE TO SLOW OURSELVES DOWN, THINK ALL THE WAY THROUGH IT, TALK ABOUT THE PROS AND THE CONS AND STOP AND WE NEED TO BE MORE IN A REACTIVE, A PROACTIVE MODE THAN REACTIVE.
[01:10:10]
NOW WE'RE ADDRESSING IT.BUT WE NEED TO BE PROACTIVE TO, YOU KNOW, LOOK AT OUR STUFF AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE STAYING IN TUNE WITH THE CHANGES IN STATE CODE AND STUFF LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW.
MORE SO THAN JUST THE PLANNING SIDE.
I THINK EVEN ON THE BOARD OF SUPERVISOR SIDE, WE NEED TO FIND A BETTER WAY TO ATTACK THIS.
ALONG THE PLANNING SIDE, MAJORITY OF OUR CASES ARE SPECIAL EXCEPTIONS.
THAT'S ONE THING I WAS REALLY GLAD.
I WAS REALLY EXCITED TO SEE THIS, BECAUSE I WAS GOING TO BRING IT UP AS A QUESTION, BUT IT'S SPELLED OUT IN HERE ALREADY, AND I'VE BROUGHT IT UP IN OUR MEETINGS ENOUGH THAT TILLMAN, BOB PROBABLY ARE TIRED OF HEARING ME SAYING IT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE WHEN YOU SEE THAT THERE'S A REPEATED PATTERN, THERE'S A SYSTEMIC ISSUE.
WHY CAN'T WE GO AHEAD AND WORK TOWARDS SUGGESTING TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS THAT WE AMEND THAT PLAN, OR THAT DOCUMENT THAT'S CAUSING THE SYSTEMIC ISSUE, INSTEAD OF WAITING FIVE YEARS FOR A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO BE UPDATED.
SO I WAS REALLY EXCITED TO SEE THAT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN HERE, THAT A PLAN IS NOT ONLY SOMETHING THAT YOU INITIATE, BUT YOU NEED TO HAVE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES IN PLACE SO THAT THERE'S A WAY TO AMEND THEM AND UPDATE THEM AS THE TIMES CHANGE.
SO I JUST WANTED TO COMMEND YOU ON THAT.
I WAS VERY EXCITED TO SEE THAT IN YOUR PRESENTATION.
THANK YOU. WE'RE BIG FANS OF BENCHMARKING IT EVERY SO OFTEN.
ANY LAST QUESTIONS? WELL, THANK YOU AGAIN.
IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE TO BE HERE TONIGHT.
THANK YOU, SIR. BACK OVER TO YOU ALL.
MAKE A MOTION TO ADJOURN THE SESSION.
ALRIGHT, WITH THAT BEING SAID, I'LL TAKE A MOTION TO ADJOURN TO MARCH 26TH.
SECOND. [INAUDIBLE] CALL THE ROLL? THANK YOU.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.